Signaling-key or circuit-controller



. T A. WATSON Signaling Key or Circuit Controller. NO. 243,333.

(No Model.)

Patented June 21, 1881..

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS A. W'ATSON, OF EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS.

SIGNALING-KEY OR CIRCUIT-CONTROLLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NC 243,333, dated June 21,1881.

Application filed April 1, 1881. (No model.)

cuit-Controllers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of signal- 7 ing-keys orcircuit-controllers which are employed to close and break electriccircuits, such as those used for signaling and communication between thedifferent offices of a corporation or rooms of a building, andespecially when such circuits are used in connection with telephones.

While my invention is especially designed for use in connection withsuch signaling systems as thosereferrcd to, it is readily adapted foruse as a key or circuit-changer in any 'form of electric annunciator orsignaling apparatus.

In an application for a patent for signaling and circuit-connectingapparatus filed July 6, 1880, No. 13,056, I have described a system ofsignaling and communication in which, at any given station, one set ofwires or conductors munication. Each of the telephone-wires is alsofurnished with a separate key, wherebyit is connected with thetelephone. 7

The objects of 'mypresentinvention are, first,

to furnish a more simple, economical, and efficient device for electricsignaling and circuitchanging than those heretofore in use, wherebytheoperations of signaling and receiving signals, connecting anddisconnecting the telephones, and other similar manipulations may bemore quickly and easily performed; second, to materially reduce thenumber of wires essential in a system of local telephonic communication,such as described in the application I have already referred to; third,to provide a means whereby, when the apparatus is in aposition fortelephonic conversation, the local battery of the telephone-transmittershall be automatically set in action.

My invention consists in an improved electric signalin g-key orcircuit-controller possessing the following :characteristics: First, the

facilities for circuit-changing are improved by improved arrangement ofan intermediate contact and springs, whereby a local-battery circuit maybe closed when the telephone is removed from its support; also, in thecombination of a number of signaling-keys, each furnished with aseparate back contact or point of rest, with a front contact or anviland an intermediate contact, serving also as a telephone-support commonto the series.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a keyembodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a series of keysarranged on a base together and exemplifying their collectiveemployment. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of such a key in its ordinaryposition. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of Fig. 2, and shows the keyattached to its intermediate contact; and Fig. 5is an outline drawing ofsuch a key, indicating the objective points of the three branch circuitsto which it is capable of being connected.

In the drawings, A represents a base-board of any non-conductingmaterial, on which is firmly fixed by screws at one end a spring plateor key, B, of any suitable metal or alloy, such as brass or Germansilver. This key .is fitted with a button or knob, 70, of hard rubber orsimilar material, while connected to the end which is fastened to thebase is awire, 1, by

which connection with the main-line is permanently maintained. Near theupper part of the base-board is fixed a metallic back stop or -cated inFig. 5, leads to the annunciator and ground or returnwire.

Attached also to the base-board, and immediately under the knob K, is aplate of metal,

j, connected to the wire 3, which leads to one pole of thesignaling-battery (Not shown.) The other poleof the battery, it will bereadily understood, is connected to the ground or to.

the base-board, and in front of the key, is the metallic rocking bar h,secured at the ends to the arms g 9. These arms are pivoted, to admit offree action, on the screw-arbors t" 11. The arm 9 is elongated and endsin the hook (1 ,011 which, when in a state of inaction, the telephone Tor other weight is hung, thus maintaining the rocking bar at its lowestpoint and preventing it from making contact with the curved end 0 of thekey B.

Situated on the base-board, immediately un-- der the rocking bar h, is aspiral spring, 8, so adjusted as to press continually upward with itsfree end against the rocking bar it with sufficient force to bring itsharply in the direction of the curved end 0 of the key whenevertheweight T is taken from the support. It, then, while no weight is on thesupport, the key be depressed, the curved end 0 will slip over therocking bar h, and, on being permit-' ted to return, will be engaged onits upper surface by the rocking bar, and be thereby; prevented fromreturning to its normal point of rest, d, and by the sustained upwardpressure of the curved end of the key B on the 1111- der side of therocking bar It the new contact thus made will be preserved firm andelectrically perfect, as shown in Fig. 4, where the key is representedas engaged with the rocking bar It and maintained in an intermediateposition between its front contact or anvil, jf and its back contact ornormal point of rest,f d. The wire 4 is soldered to the metallic plate9, on which the arm 9 is pivoted, and serves a double purpose-via, asthe wire leading to the telephone, and thence to the ground or returnwire, and also as one of the wires of the' local-battery circuit. Thespring f, secured to? the base-board at the other side of the key B, isthe other terminal of the local-battery circuit, the wire 5 being anintegral part of that circuit. When the telephone or weight is on: thesupport it will be observed that the{ ,spring f is not in metallicconnection with? any other part of the apparatus. local circuit remainsopen and the battery is Hence the preserved from exhaustion; but when noweightv is on the hook and the key is in the position shown in Fig. 4,making contact with the rocking bar h, the spring f is also brought intoclose correspondence of the arm g of the rocking bar h, as representedby the .dotted lines in Fig. 3. An auxiliary electrical contact is thusformed and constitutes the completion of the local circuit, putting thelocal battery into operation.

In Fig. 2 I-have shown a series of signalingkeys, B B B, each havingseparate back con-, tact-pieces, but provided with a front contact orbattery plate, j, a rocking bar, h, a telephonesupport, 9", and alocal-battery spring, f, common to all. It will be understood that eachkey B represents the main stem of a separate signaling and communicatingwire, 1, which may, by the different motions it is capable of, bealternately put into connection with any of the terminal branches. henat rest each key presses against and is in connection with itsrespective bridge 0 with contact spring 0?, each of the bridges leadingby a separate wire, 2, through its own annunciator to ground. Theplatej, by means of the wire 3, is the terminal of one battery, whichfurnishes electricity for any or all of the keys. Similarly the rockingbar h, by its wire 4,'is connected through the telephones to ground, andis the common medium whereby all of the keys, and consequently all ofthe lines, may be connected to the telephone for speaking communication.The spring f likewise serves as the'local-battery circuit-closer for anynumber of lines.

The dotted lines in-Fig. 4 show the position of the key when depressedonto the battery contact or anvilj.

The operation of this key is as follows: Normally resting on its backcontact, d, the path of any current arriving through themain wire 1 is,via the key B, spring (1, bridge 0, and wire 2, to the annunciator andearth or return wire. The effect of such an arriving current is to dropthe annunciator and give the signal. To respond to such a signal the keyB is depressed .on the front contact, j. This puts the main battery incircuit, and the path of the current is from the battery, m'st wire 3,anvil j, key B,

and wire 1, to the distant annunciator and to ground, giving thereturn-signal. The manipulators at both ends now being prepared totransmit and receive conversation, each one takes his telephone from thesupport, which allows the rocking bar h to rise by the influence of thespiral springs. The key B connectin g with the proper party is now againdepressed, and when permitted to rise engages with the under side of therocking bar It, and is by it prevented from reaching its normal contact(1. Hence the key is put into communication with the telephone-branch,and the circuit as now constituted is from the ground, through thetelephones, to wire 4, arm g,rocking bar h, key B, and wire 1, to thedistant key and telephones, where the same features are used. Thebattery Contact spring f, with wire 5, is also brought into contact withthe arm 9 and its circuit automatically closed.

Upon the conclusion of the operation the telephone is hung on thesupport g The key B flies back to its original back contact, (I,restoring the circuit to its annunciator branch terminal and opening thelocal circuit. If any key is already engaged with the rocking shaft,

two or more keys should be depressed at the 'same time and by the samemotion, they, striking the rocking bar on their simultaneous return,will all bedetained by it, so that any number of main lines can be thusconversed over at the same time when necessary.

Although I have in this present embodiment of my invention vdescribed itin the form of a signaling-key, yetI may, if I so desire, incorporate itas a working part in any other apparatus designed for signaling ortelegraphic correspondence.

Having thus described my invention and Q the method of its constructionand operation,

I claim- 1. A key normally resting in electrical contact with its backlimiting stop, and furnished with an anvil or front contact and anintermediate contact or point of rest, in combination with means, asindicated, for retaining said key at the intermediate contact, each ofthe several contacts being in electrical connection with a separatebranch circuit.

2. In an electrical signaling apparatus,a series of keyspermanentlyconnected to the main lines, each key resting on itsrespective back contact, and provided with an anvil or battery contact,an intermediate contact, and a local circuit-closer common to all of thekeys in the series, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

3. The combination, in one instrument, of the signaling-key B, thenormal contact piece 0 e, and spring d, the anvil j, the rocking shaftor intermediate contact h, the battery contact spring f, thetelephone-support g and the spiral spring 8.

4. The signaling-key B, provided with the 35 back contact-piece, e, andthe anvil j, combined with the rocking shaft or intermediate contact hand the telephone-support, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the rocking shaft, sig- 4o naling-key adapted tomake contact therewith, and telephone support, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two sub- 5 scribing witnesses, this 30th day of March, A.

THOMAS A. WATSON.

Witnesses:

CHARLES T. LORING, THos. D. LOOKWOOD.

